Anya's War
by TheWriteGirl1979
Summary: A former Navy technician at Stamper Oil has to battle the asteroid, her heart and demons from her past as they fight for humanity and deal with the aftermath. Colonel Sharp/ O.C. (Repost)
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Captain Willie Sharp was nervous, but trying to hide it as his blue eyes took in the sight of the _USS Danbridge_ and the sailors running around it. His plane had malfunctioned and he had been forced to eject over the Mediterranean Sea on his way back to the air base in Jordan and the Navy destroyer had picked him up out of the water with the expected jokes about the Air Force from some of the Naval officers onboard. A pair of coveralls, belt, shirt and ball cap had been donated from one of the others, with metal insignia denoting his rank on the collar. As he was walking outside, he ran into an argument taking place on one of the decks.

"…and with all due respect, sir, just because you have a degree doesn't mean you know this gear. That would be me…" Will stepped forward to see a young woman glaring at an even younger man with the gold bars of a 2nd Lieutenant, no Ensign, he mentally corrected himself, as she wiped her hands on a rag before continuing her lecture. "Sir, I am well aware that we have to have this repaired before we hit the Suez, but I can't fix the fucking gear if I am standing here flapping my gums and not working. I promise that as soon as I get it repaired, I'II come find you." The young officer nodded and walked away as the woman let out a breath and turned to go in the opposite direction. As he caught a glimpse of her face, Will was taken aback. She wasn't a classic beauty, but there was something striking about her features that spoke of recent Native American ancestry. She was maybe two or three years younger than he was, her dark brown heavily streaked with auburn from the sun and a dark tan. "Excuse me, sir," she said calmly as she brushed past him. Before Will could finish processing his thoughts, the woman had vanished and disappeared into one of the passageways. He heard his name and went with another officer as they prepared to receive a helicopter to take him back to his base.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

 _Fifteen Years Later_

Anastasia 'Anya' Scott was working on the hydraulic system on the No. 1 drill when she heard shouts and the unmistakable sound of a shotgun firing. Turning, she tucked a streak of light brown hair behind her ear and sighed as she approached her fellow roughnecks.

"Let me guess: Harry just found out that Grace was fucking AJ?" Every head, including the three she named turned to face her in a mixture of shock and disbelief. "What? They weren't exactly hiding how they feel about each other…anyone with eyes or a brain could see it." Anya looked around and smirked. "Never mind, I forgot who I was talking to." She sighed and walked up to her boss, shaking her head. "Harry, you can't shoot AJ…we don't have anywhere to hide the body." The older man grinned, but before anyone could say anything else, she heard Rock shouting about incoming clients. "I need to go fix the valves on No. 2 so we can get it back…" Harry shook his head, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"It chewed 180 last night, Anya, and I'm sure you know who did it." Anya's face turned red and she held out her hand.

"Give me the gun, Harry…AJ, you fucking moron!" Harry only laughed, handing the 12 gauge to Chick before following Grace, continuing to lecture her. Anya shook her head, glaring at AJ, who was hobbling back to his own room to dress. Suddenly, the drills began rattling and she raced over to try to keep things from getting out of hand amidst shouts. Before Anya or anyone could do anything, oil was erupting into the air as she tried desperately to get the hydraulic motors turned off. She could hear another helicopter landing, but ignored it to focus on her work until she finally was able to sit back and try to wipe the black crude from her face with an equally filthy rag, the valve functioning again until she could do a more permanent repair..

"Anya?" She turned to see Chick standing there with an envelope in his hand.

"Hey, Chick, where's Harry?" He shrugged and handed her the money.

"Some military types came and took both him and Gracie with them. Told me to cut everyone loose and send all of you home." Anya nodded and returned to her room to clean up and change before taking the boat back to the mainland, then a flight home to her house in Texas.

At NASA, Harry and Grace were sitting at a table, discussing which of their team would be the best fit on the mission.

"…the only one that can run it as well as I do is AJ." Grace nodded as Harry stated he would go to AJ himself. "We need Anya, too…she knows the equipment even better than I do, and I want her there if anything gets fucked and we need it fixed in a hurry." Grace looked up at Dan Truman who was watching them.

"Anastasia 'Anya' Scott, hydraulics, pneumatics and electromechanics. She's been with us for almost ten years and is the only other person besides Harry that knows that rig inside and out. She has a small house not far from here where she spends her time off relaxing and writing."

Anya had just finished another chapter and was sitting down with a cup of tea when there was a knock on the door. Opening it, her eyes widened at the black SUV in her driveway and the two FBI agents on her porch.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" she asked calmly.

"Anastasia Scott?" She nodded, only to be told that she was come with them immediately, no questions asked.

"Am I under arrest, sir?" The taller of the agents shook his head, but repeated that they needed to leave right away. A muscle clenched in her jaw as she bluntly told them that she was getting dressed and grabbing an overnight bag that she always kept packed in case of an emergency. Her military background was evident when she came out of the house in less than ten minutes in a black tee shirt, green camouflage pants tucked into her black work boots and her dark hair in a tight braid. The FBI agents were silent on the hour-long drive, and Anya felt her jaw drop when the car stopped in front of NASA and she saw Harry, Grace and the others in front of the building. Anya couldn't keep from laughing at Bear's question about finding oil on Uranus.

"Harry, what the fuck does NASA need with us…and why is the goddamned FBI banging on my door when you just cut us loose a couple of days ago?" She could see that whatever it was, it had deeply shaken both her employer and the young woman that had become a little sister to her. Harry didn't say anything until they had all been led inside and were seated inside a conference room. Every bit of color drained from Anya's face as Harry explained what had happened and what they were being asked to do.

"None of you have to go. We can all just sit here on Earth...wait for this big rock to crash into it, kill everything and everybody we know. The United States government just asked us to save the world. Anybody wanna say no?" Chick was the first to speak.

"Twenty years haven't turned ya down once, not about to start now."

"I'm there."

"Guess I can't let you go up there alone. I'm with you." Oscar's answer had to be the most entertaining.

"I mean, this is...this is historic. Guys, this is like deep blue hero stuff. Of course I'm in."

"While I don't share his enthusiasm...you know me…beam me up, Scotty." Anya shook her head at Rockhound as Harry turned to Max.

"You all right, Max?" The biggest member of the team looked nauseous.

"I-I don't…I-I don't…Whatever you think."

"What about you?" AJ only spoke two words.

"I'm in." .Anya lifted her head and looked at Harry. Her mind was going a mile a minute, since if you looked at her academic records, as she was certain that NASA did, why would they want her on the trip? She saw the answer in Harry's eyes. It wasn't NASA that wanted her, or any of them. It was Harry that demanded his team. At that moment, Anya knew that it would be a cold day in hell before she let him down.

"You already know my answer, old man." Rockhound asked about hazard pay, causing Anya to laugh at some of the absurd requests her friends made. Harry looked at her again, and she shook her head. "What I want, Harry is something that no one, not even NASA or the Feds, can give." He nodded and went down to where Truman was standing with an Air Force General who looked less than happy about their presence. Anya took a deep breath as Harry began telling the two men about the requests, still amused at some of them. Once that was done, she was led into a different area from the men for her physical exam. Her grin threatened to split her face when she joined the men for the immunizations. "You fuckers are a bunch of wimps." A line of middle fingers greeted her, only making her laugh. Her laughter increased when the doctors started going over the results of their blood tests, especially once they heard the doctor talking to Bear.

"Your triglycerides are way high and your bad cholesterol is shockingly bad…"

"Told ya to lay off those pork rinds, Pooh Bear." Max commented, to Bear's dismay. Bear jumped up and ripped off his hospital gown, revealing a pair of tiger-striped briefs and started dancing on the table, pulling the briefs down to reveal his ass.

"Yeah, pork rind this. Pork rinds this! Yeah!"

"Hey Papa Bear," she called out. "Aren't you supposed to be setting the example for us kids?" All of them laughed as a sheepish Bear pulled his gown back on and the testing continued.

In the psychiatric exam, Anya shook her head at the ridiculous questions. "Look Doc, under normal circumstances, this group would still be out in the South Pacific getting crude for an Asian oil company. Are we crazy? Sure, but only crazy people would volunteer for something this insane. A normal person would be trying to stockpile supplies for a decade in a cave in the mountains somewhere, praying to survive."

"Fail. Fail. Depressively fail. Ms. Scott was the only one that passed, but she would normally be disqualified with her previous military diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, plus the metal implants in her spine, hip and leg." The doctor shook his head as he continued to speak. "One toxicology analysis revealed ketamine…" The debate went on for a few minutes, but Truman put his foot down and everyone passed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Once the medical exams ended, they were all measured and fitted for spacesuits. Anya was reminded of her first days in boot camp when they were given shirts with the NASA logo, but she refused to trade in her comfortable BDU pants for the slacks they offered her. For the first formal day of training, she followed Truman into an aircraft hangar with her team, all of them now dressed in green coveralls that reminded Anya of her years onboard ships, though she insisted on rolling up her sleeves and tucking the pants into her boots.

"Good morning, I'm Colonel Willie Sharp. In addition to flying one of the X-71's to that rock, my job is to train you how to deal with the mental and physical rigors of working in space so you don't freak out on the asteroid. United States astronauts train for years. You have twelve days. Do we have any intelligent questions before we get started?" There was something familiar about Colonel Sharp, but she couldn't put a finger on it. His eyes were the bluest she had ever seen and she shook her head to keep herself from staring, opening the folder in front of her. Anya didn't look up when Chick cleared his throat to ask what the X-71 was, and she was still reading when she answered him.

"Twenty bucks says it's the shuttle."

"How the hell would you know that, Anya?" Rock asked, staring at her in surprise, as were A.J., Freddy, Oscar and Colonel Sharp. Anya chuckled and shook her head before closing the folder and standing up.

"Common sense. The Colonel just said that he was flying one of the X-71's to the rock, but considering present company, common sense is a rarity." Anya smirked and ducked under Bear's arm, avoiding a noogie as they were led to the hanger.

"You're the first civilians to ever see her. We call 'em the X-71s. It's a top secret joint venture with the Air Force. She and her sister ship at Vandenberg are leaving tomorrow for launch prep in Florida...but I thought you ought to take a look. The two shuttles going up are the _Freedom_ and the _Independence_. Her titanium alloy impenetrable skin covers the toughest, meanest, most sophisticated space vehicle man has ever made." Truman then introduced the NASA personnel that would be going with them. "Okay, Air Force Colonel Davis, NASA pilot Tucker will command the shuttle _Independence_. Air Force Colonel Sharp, NASA pilot Watts, shuttle _Freedom_. Munitions specialist Gruber and Halsey will supervise the nuclear ordnance. Anyway, uh, I just thought, uh…thought you guys should meet." Anya smiled and approached the pilots.

"Thank God, I thought that I was going to choke on all of the testosterone here." The other woman, Jennifer Watts, laughed and shook Anya's hand.

"This bunch isn't much better, trust me. I'm Jen Watts."

"Anastasia Scott…though everyone here calls me Anya." The two women felt the eyes of the men on them and turned to glare, causing all of the men to wince before the oil drillers were led to the giant pool that was euphemistically called a weightless training environment. Being a natural born sailor, Anya felt more at home in the water than anywhere else did. She heard Rockhound complaining and turned to look at the resident pervert.

"Rock, quit flapping your gums and get in the fucking water before I throw your ass in there!" He glared at her and grumbled before obeying. None of them heard a gasp as Sharp's eyes went wide with recognition. Their space suits took some time getting used to, but Harry, Chick and Anya had the easiest time of it, followed by A.J. and surprisingly, Bear. Once they were done with the pool, Truman, a physicist named Dr. Quincy and the pilots took them to where two of the strangest vehicles they had ever seen were parked.

Will followed the drillers to where the Armadillos were parked, wanting to talk to the woman, now that he knew who she was…or was sure that he did.

"Here at downtown NASA, we call this the Monster Armadillo." A scientist named Dr. Quincy took over from Truman.

"Gonna be retrofitted with your drilling arm. She'll turn…" Quincy fell silent as Anya climbed up on one of the Armadillos and Harry on the other.

"Mind if we take a look at her now?" Parts went flying as the two shouted directions to their crew and Truman.

"All these rubber hoses gotta go, Max…count 'em up."

"Make sure it's short-throw shifting," Anya added as she examined the steering mechanism. "We're going to need a simplified operations manual for whoever is driving these." She turned when she noticed Harry holding the oddest looking spoon she'd ever seen.

"Quincy! Somebody tell me what this is. Plastic ice cream scoop? What'd that cost? About $400?" Anya snickered and spoke briefly with Harry as the men left for the day, leaving straddling the top of the vehicle and working on the fittings. She had just set the torque wrench aside and removed her goggles when she sensed that she was being watched and looked up to see Sharp leaning against the wall. "Is there something that I can help you with, Colonel?"

"Um…by chance, were you ever in the Navy?" Anya nodded and wiped her hands on a rag and hopped down from the 'Dillo.

"Yes, I spent about eight years in, got hurt doing an IA tour in Iraq, and was medically retired. Went to work for Harry as soon as I recovered, but took a couple of years off to finish a Bachelor's and Master's in History for when I get too old for the rigs. Why?" Sharp rubbed his neck as he took a deep breath.

"About fifteen years ago, I was flying missions over Iraq when my plane malfunctioned and I had to eject. A destroyer picked me up in the Med…" Anya's eyes widened and she smiled.

"The _Danbridge_ …we were all making Chair Force jokes. How is it that you remember me of all of the people on that old tin can? I was what…a third class back then?" Will felt his neck and ears redden.

"It was what you said about 'flapping your gums'…you said it to Rockhound today, and said it to a second lieu…sorry, ensign, one day when I saw you on the ship." Anya chuckled, shaking her head.

"I've been saying that for years…picked it up from my stepfather." She sighed and tucked the dirty rag into her back pocket. Her eyes met his as her lips quirked into a grin. "I hope that you've had better luck with your planes since you made it into NASA, Colonel Sharp." Will could not help but laugh as they left the hanger.

"Why drilling? I don't want to offend you, Ms. Scott, but you mentioned that you are a historian. Plus, you honestly seem to be far too intelligent to be with…" Anya chuckled and held up a hand.

"Looks can be deceiving, Colonel. Oscar and Rock are both geologists. Harry, Freddy, AJ, Bear, Max and Chick have all been doing this since they were teenagers, and Harry's family has been doing it for almost a century. My job in the Navy had me learning how to operate and fix electronics, hydraulics, pneumatic and electromechanical systems." She gave him a sheepish grin. "I just sucked at the math theory and the extra requirements for a STEM degree. I love history, but I love what I do even more. Will opened and shut his mouth a few times and slowly nodded, causing Anya to chuckle. "Don't always judge a book by its cover, Colonel." He was at a loss for words as she grinned again and walked towards the room she had been assigned. Once inside, Sharp's face was in her head, and she had to calm herself down. Anya hadn't lowered her guard enough to have a relationship since she caught her ex-fiancé in bed with another woman almost seven years ago, despite Rock, Oscar and Freddy all trying on one occasion or another to flirt with her, until she had to forcefully get her point across. Shaking her head, Anya finally stretched out on the bunk to fall asleep, blue eyes haunting her dreams.

When she went for breakfast the next morning, she noticed the NASA group, including Sharp, all in flight suits and whispering amongst themselves. Anya was never one for a heavy breakfast, and the looks on the pilots' faces made her pick up nothing more than two slices of toast with some coffee. Once they finished, the drillers were led out to the hanger where an older man was waiting. He introduced himself as Chuck as he looked them all over.

"This is about the sorriest group of people I've seen in all my entire military career. Your space flight's gonna be a brutal assault on your senses. I'm here to give you a taste of that. NASA's got some of the finest pilots in the world. They're gonna be suckin' your eyes into the back of your heads." The drillers were each told to follow a pilot and Anya let out a breath when Sharp approached her. She despised flying and knew that this would not be any fun.

"Watts and I played rock, paper, and scissors over your name." She raised an eyebrow and Will smirked. "You were the only one that didn't eat a large breakfast, so it means that there will be less to clean out of the cockpit later." Her eyes narrowed as she followed him.

"Maybe I'II just hold it in until we land, then let it go on your head, Colonel." Will snorted and helped her strap in before doing the same.

"Brace yourself and don't forget to breathe, Ms. Scott." That was the only warning she got before he rocketed down the runway and into the air. Anya closed her eyes and braced herself as he twisted, turned and flipped the plane all over the air. "You okay back there?" Opening one eye, she glared at the grin she could see reflected on the cockpit glass.

"Just peachy, Colonel." Her voice was more like a growl as he did barrel rolls, laughing the whole time. When they finally landed, she was pale and wobbly, holding tightly to the ladder until her boots hit the tarmac. "Sharp, you're an asshole." Will could only laugh again as he placed his hand at her waist to help support her.

"You're not the first person to tell me that, Scott." She bit her lip at the warmth she could feel, and looked up at him. His eyes met hers, but before either of them could speak, they heard the sound of retching and made their way to the others. Watts was shaking her head as A.J. was doubled over, Grace next to him. Chick and Harry were the only ones still under their own power, but both had vomited earlier, judging from the front of their suits. Sharp just grinned at the others and held out his hand for the rest of the pilots to deposit money into it. Anya shook her head before going back to work on the equipment with the others, muttering about how she really shoud have puked on his head. She could hear Oscar and AJ discussing Star Wars. That afternoon, Watts was giving them a lecture about the suits they would be wearing on the asteroid, something that Bear, Oscar and Rockhound were ignoring in favor of staring at the blonde.

"Neil Armstrong, 1969, bouncing on the moon. He's bouncing because there's less gravity up there than on Earth. This will be similar to the asteroid, so watch it. Something gets launched off that asteroid with enough force, it's gonna keep on going right into outer space." Anya shook her head at the comments of the men.

"What is the deal?" Oscar was looking over at Bear. "Is it just me, or is Watts really hot?"

"Yeah." Watts seemed to be ignoring them as she continued her lecture. "So we have these new generation suits with directional accelerant thrusters. You won't bounce like Neil Armstrong. Bear!"

"Yes?"

"Do we have a problem?"

"No."

"Because I'm trying to describe to you how these D.A.T.s keep your ass on the ground, so that if I were to kick you in the balls and you don't know how to work them, what happens to you?" Anya snickered at the sight of Bear, one of the biggest men she had ever known, being chewed out by Jen, who was smaller than Anya herself was.

"I float away."

"Yeah." Watts walked back to the others, shaking her head at Anya, who was glaring at the men. Rockhound made one of his usual pervy comments, causing the brunette to slap the back of his head.

"Gentlemen, Anya, I'II give you 30 seconds to put your helmets on, then the oxygen will be sucked out of this vacuum and you will know what it's like to be in space. Go!" They spent two hours learning how to work the suits, Anya, Harry, Chick and AJ were the first to master it, the rest following soon after. Once it was over, they went to a conference room with Truman, where it looked like he'd set up his kid's high school science project for them to look at.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

"So here's the flight plan. Now, let's keep the laughter to a minimum. I know this is not to scale. Both shuttles will take off Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Now, 67 minutes later, you're gonna dock with the Russian space station to meet Cosmonaut Andropov, who will refuel the shuttles with liquid O2. That's your fuel. Then you'll release and take a 60-hour trip toward the moon. Now, we only have one shot of landing on this rock and that's precisely when the asteroid passes by the moon. You'll then use lunar gravity and burn your thrusters, slingshotting you around the moon and coming up behind the asteroid. You'll be upward of 11 Gs." Rockhound interrupted the head of NASA with a look of disbelief.

"Yeah, I remember this one. It's where the, uh, the coyote sat his ass down in a slingshot then he strapped himself to an Acme rocket. Is-Is that what we're doin' here?" Harry snorted.

"Rockhound…"

"No, no, really, because it didn't work out too well for the coyote, Harry." Truman visibly fought to keep his temper and Anya cleared her throat.

"Rock, just shut the hell up. We don't have time for this shit." Truman let out a smile before he continued.

"Well, actually, we have a lot better rockets than the coyote. Now, when you've finished your Road Runner thrust move you'll be moving at 22,500 miles per hour. Coming around behind the asteroid, where we're hoping that the tail debris will be cleared by the moon's gravity. And you'll land right here. That's it." The second-in-command then, Clarke, stepped forward.

"We got separate landing sites for each team. Softest parts of the rock as we can figure. At NASA, we don't take chances. We double up on everything. First team that hits 800 feet wins. Now this rock is big, it's dense, it's got some gravity. You can walk around. But use your thrusters so you can work easier." They all nodded, then Oscar spoke up.

"Okay, Mr. Truman, let's say that we actually do land on this. What's it gonna be like up there?" At Truman's answer, they all paled and Oscar looked queasy. "Okay, so the scariest environment imaginable. Thanks. That's all you gotta say…scariest environment imaginable." Truman nodded and continued the speech.

"Okay, so you drill, you drop the nuke, and you leave. Now, here's the key: You're gonna remote detonate the bomb before the asteroid passes this plane-Zero Barrier. You do that, and the remaining pieces of rock should be deflected enough to pass right by us. Now, if the bomb explodes after Zero Barrier game's over." The lecture ended and after they were dismissed for the day, Anya walked towards the gym once she changed out of her coveralls into shorts and a tank top. She needed a workout, and to let out some frustration, as well as hopefully get the blue eyes of Colonel Willie Sharp out of her head.

Will had left the group and headed towards the gym himself, surprised to hear Guns-n-Roses blaring as he opened the door. Turning a corner, he stood in shock as Anya was using the bench press, lifting at least 150Ibs. Tattoos covered her shoulders, biceps and lower calves, something that surprisingly made him even more attracted to her, which was odd in itself, as he had never found tattoos on a woman sexy. On Anya, however, they only added to the allure she didn't seem to know that she had. Will cleared his throat to catch her attention. "Remind me not to piss you off." He saw her let out a breath before replacing the bar and sitting upright, turning to face him with a small grin on her face, trying to hide the turmoil she felt being alone with him in the small weight room.

"That only proves that you've got more common sense than some of my guys. I literally and figuratively had to beat that into their heads." She picked up her water bottle and drank deeply from it before looking back at him. "Colonel, is something wrong? If you want me to leave…" Will quickly shook his head and sat on the other bench.

"No, not at all…um…I just wasn't used to anyone coming here this late but me."

"Colonel, I…"

"Please, it's Will." Anya raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"Anya, then." Will smiled, causing her breath to catch in her throat their eyes met. "I…um…was thinking about going for a jog…"

"Do you mind if I join you?" The two ran in silence around the hangar, stopping after circling it three times and Anya took a deep breath when she saw the drills attached to the Armadillos. Will looked at her in concern as she ran a hand over her face.

"It…I still can't believe that this is real…part of me is still expecting to wake up and be back on the rig or at my house." Will could only nod as Anya leaned back against the vehicles. "What about you, Col…Will? Why did you volunteer for this?" Will reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet, opening it to show her a picture of himself with two young girls.

"My daughters. Cathy is 9 and Haley is 11. Their mother and I divorced when Haley was six." Anya gave him an understanding smile.

"Casualty of the military lifestyle?" He nodded, shaking his head.

"Yeah…she wanted a husband that came home every night. I couldn't blame her, and we honestly get along better now than we did before. What about you, Anya?" She shook her head.

"I haven't spoken to my family in years, Will. Harry…he's become more of a dad to me than either my father or stepfather ever were. I was engaged until I got home from my last deployment to find the asshole I was supposed to marry screwing some blonde toothpick with giant boobs. Haven't dated since, and my folks told me that it was my own fault for trying to do a man's job instead of 'knowing my place'." Anya made air quotes with her fingers. "I let that go, but was sent to Baghdad until my Humvee ran over an IED. My mother didn't even know that I was awake in the hospital after Iraq when she bitched about not getting my life insurance money. The fact that I needed to die for her to get it didn't matter. Once I was released, I walked away and joined Stamper Oil. Harry is…he's become the dad I always wished that I had. Grace has been a sister since I first got to the rig. The only people that have ever given a damn about me are going with us, Will. Pretty pathetic, if you think about it." Anya didn't know why she told him all of this, but once she started talking, she didn't want to stop. Will smiled gently and reached out to lift her chin with his finger.

"I don't think that it is pathetic at all, Anya." Their eyes locked and he lowered his lips to hers. Anya did not know what to think as she returned the kiss, deciding that under the circumstances, it did not matter if it made sense. For the first time in almost a decade, Anastasia Scott just let go and let herself feel. Will's fingers brushed over the scars he could see, dropping soft kisses on each of them before his lips found hers again.

In the main room overlooking the hangar, Harry was ignoring the input of the men about the AJ and Grace situation.

"Okay, but Harry, all we're sayin' is, we're taIkin' about a kid who's comin' into her own right now. And she's gettin' curious about her body and she's exploring her sexuality. And you know what?

"Oscar."

"That's a natural thing."

"You are about five minutes older than Grace is. Why should I listen to you?" The argument continued until Chick looked out the window to see Anya and Colonel Sharp kissing and holding each other.

"Hey Harry, come take a look." Harry looked irritated but walked over to the window, only to chuckle at the sight.

"Sharp's been staring at her since you all got here, Chick, and I've caught her stealing glances at him just as often. We both know she's lonely, and has been for some time. If Sharp is able to get through her walls and make her happy, then good. She's better off with someone like him than any of us. After everything that girl has survived, she deserves whatever she wants…and it looks like she's found it."

Will pulled away slightly to allow them both to catch their breath, though he didn't let her out of his arms.

"Will," She whispered softly. "What are we doing…?" All Will could do was press his forehead against hers and smile.

"I don't know…perhaps it's fate that we finally met properly here." She laughed weakly, allowing him to kiss her again before they went back to their respective rooms.

The next morning, Will was standing with the others and watching as AJ and Max both practiced driving the Armadillos. There were only two days left before they had to go to Florida and everyone was getting even tenser. That afternoon, when they were doing the first of the final two simulations, AJ's attitude rubbed everyone the wrong way.

"Come on, _Independence_. Keep it up, let's go. We're the younger team here, we're the varsity team. Take it to 11,000." Harry tried to advise the younger man, but was ignored. "Thanks, Harry. Would you mind lettin' me run my own team?" The computers shut down, showing a blown transmission and Will turned to Harry.

"If you wanna replace a member of the crew, now is the time." Harry shook his head and pulled AJ aside, lecturing him before dismissing the team and going to where Truman and Will were waiting. Anya's voice rang out as she added her own comments to her fellow roughneck, not noticing the men leaving.

"I want my guys to have tomorrow night off." Truman looked at Harry as if he had grown another head.

"What do you mean off?"

"I mean, off. Out of here. For at least ten hours. Then we'll go to Kennedy." Truman frowned and shook his head.

"Well, there's no possible way we can do that, Harry. There's a potentially huge security risk. What if they talk? What if they get hurt?" Harry looked both men.

"What if they're too burned out to do the right thing? What if they get up there and they forget what they're fighting for? You see what's goin' on up there. These boys are ready to snap. They didn't ask to be here. They got pulled off the street. For all we know, tomorrow night could be the last night they ever see Earth. I don't think it's too much to ask to let 'em spend it with their families." Truman tried to refuse, and Will found Harry looking at him. "You got family, Colonel?" Will nodded and told him about his daughters. "Wouldn't you like to spend tomorrow night with your little girls?" He then turned back to Truman. I'm not askin' ya. I'm tellin' ya. Make this happen." The next morning, after the last test run, Anya gave Will the address to her house, though she didn't expect to see him. She was curled up on her sofa, eating popcorn and watching a movie when the doorbell rang. Her jaw dropped when she saw him standing there.

"Hey. I…um…is it too late?" She shook her head and let him inside, locking the door behind him.

"I thought that you would still be with your girls, Will?" He smiled and looked around the living room at all of the books.

"I put them to bed…told them I'd be home in a week or so and came here once they fell asleep." Anya looked at him, and he reached out to touch her face. "Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring, and I didn't want either of us to spend tonight alone." Anya smiled, leaning into his touch and led him over to the couch.

"I…erm…I just found out that my dissertation was accepted. I told them to publish it, submitted the form for graduation, and updated my will." He inhaled sharply, not wanting to think about her being killed.

"Anya, please…"

"Will, I have no doubts that we will succeed in blowing that rock to hell and back, but you don't do something like this without making sure that all your bases are covered. You and I both know that was one of the first things that they taught us...it applies for both officers and enlisted." He couldn't deny her words, nor would he hold himself back any longer. Suddenly, his mouth was on hers as they kissed desperately. Her hands moved to the bottom of his shirt, tugging it up and over his head. "My bedroom…down the hall…" Will needed no further encouragement, pulling her to her feet as they tore at each other's clothing while stumbling towards the bedroom. They fell on the bed in just their underwear, which went flying across the room. Anya was moaning softly as Will tore his mouth from hers and began kissing down to her breasts. One of his hands slid between her legs, causing him to smile against her skin as he heard her whimper with need before he started kissing back up and pulled her leg around his waist.

"Sweetheart, I don't think I can be gentle…" Anya's eyes met his and she lifted her head to kiss him.

"Will…I don't need gentle, I just need you." He smiled against her lips as he drove into her, drawing a cry of pleasure from her throat. She locked her ankles around his waist and moved with him, her nails digging into his back. Will scraped his teeth over her neck and shoulder, his hand sliding down to where they were joined, stroking her and causing her to cry out his name, clenching around him as a powerful orgasm overtook her. His movements became stronger and more erratic as he drew another climax out of her before his own release, and he collapsed on her, rolling to his side and kissing her forehead.

"You…you're incredible," he whispered, a sentiment that Anya reciprocated, before reaching over to set an alarm to allow them to wake in time to return to NASA. His eyes met hers again and she smiled at him. Will glanced around the room, his eyes falling on a photo of what could only be Anya's family. The brunette next to him was younger, in Navy dress blues and visibly tense and unhappy, surrounded by a group of people smiling as if they were auditioning for a toothpaste commercial. Anya's eyes followed his and she shook her head in dismay.

"It was the deployment after the war started, when we were all getting the parades and welcome homes. They were doing a piece on hometown heroes and their families, so even though I was 'acting like a fucking dyke' in their words," she used air quotes again, "they wanted their publicity. I kept this photo to remind myself that sometimes you find your true family, and they aren't always the one you're born with." Will nodded, pulling her into her arms and holding her close as they fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

When they arrived at the Space Center the next morning, Anya shook her head when she found out that Rockhound, Freddie, Max and Oscar had been arrested for fighting at a strip club. Will was torn when General Kimsey pulled him aside to give the orders for secondary protocol, but he knew that no one else would question it or explain anything to the drillers, and then it would be even more dangerous. He finally nodded and the team were on their way to Florida. When they arrived, their things were taken to the shuttle, and they were dressed in the suits for the flight to and from space led towards the door. Anya was next to Harry and Chick, following Will, and turned when she heard AJ's off-key singing to a giggling Grace.

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go; I'm standing here outside your door. I hate to wake you up to say goodbye, so kiss me and smile for me…" Bear, Max and Rockhound joined in, causing Harry and Will to shake their heads while Anya and Chick tried to hide their grins before they stepped out into the bright sunshine and lined up. All of them wore their most serious expressions as the doors started to open, the voice of the President coming over a nearby television. Anya had several hairbands on her wrists to use to keep her hair tightly restrained, their bright colors noticeable, even with the Day-Glo orange of her spacesuit. Her jaw clenched as the doors opened and the cameras flashed. As they walked towards the buses, in two houses in Louisiana, there were two shocked groups staring at the television in disbelief when they saw Anya, their daughter, sister and ex-fiancée walking between Harry and A.J. with Will behind her. She winced imperceptibly when she saw all the cameras, knowing that her estranged family would either see or hear about what she was doing and rush to Florida as fast as they could to get their own fifteen minutes of fame.

They walked as a group towards the elevators that would take them to the shuttles. Anya was on the team with Harry, Chick, Rockhound and Max, which also happened to be the Freedom, which Will and Jen were piloting. The head of the ground crew nodded and pointed them in the direction of their shuttle.

" _Freedom_ crew. _Independence_ crew." Anya took her seat and tried to relax, as she watched Will start turning switches on the moment that he was seated, his voice barely audible over the noise of the crew starting to strap them in.

" _Freedom_ 's on the bridge. Attention in the firing room. The oxidizer loading is complete." Behind her, she could hear Rock and Harry being strapped into their seats.

"Hey, Harry."

"Yeah, Rock?"

"You know, we're sittin' on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has two hundred and seventy thousand moving parts built by the lowest bidder. Makes you feel good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." The technicians continued their work, with Rockhound providing commentary.

"Ow. It must be a comfort to know that if the space program goes under you can always get a job at Helga's House of Pain, huh?" Anya had to stifle a laugh at Rock's comment, since all of them had run in's with Helga during their medical exams. Everyone fell silent and could barely move their heads as Will and Jen continued the process of turning the shuttle on for launch with the launch crew in the control room.

"All right. Flight directors on with the go/no-go for launch. Retro."

"Go flight."

"Booster."

"Go flight."

"Ecos."

"Go flight."

"Trajectory."

"Go flight."

"FIDO."

"Go flight."

"EVA."

"Go flight."

"CAPCOM _Freedom_."

"Go flight."

"All right, ladies and gentlemen, it's pucker time." Clarke's voice filled their ears and Anya took another deep breath. " _Independence_ and _Freedom_ , this is Kennedy firing room. We're T minus one minute. All crew members, close and lock your visors." Anya did so, taking a deep breath as she felt the engines power up. Truman's voice came over the intercom, and though it had been a long time since she had been to church, found herself whispering a 'Hail Mary'.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, you're our warriors up there. God be with you. You're already heroes. Just sit back and enjoy the ride." She was still praying as the engines rumbled and she could feel them taking off. Will's voice rang out with the controllers as they rumbled and she opened her eyes to see the shuttle reaching the atmosphere. She could see the stars getting closer and lifted her visor when Will spoke again and Truman's voice rang out.

"Everyone, remember the Russian space station has been up there for 11 years. Most of us don't have cars that old. Now, the cosmonaut on board has been on that tin can for 18 months, alone. So don't be surprised if he's a little…off." Anya snorted.

"He'll fit right in with this bunch, then." She could hear Will stifling a laugh and shaking his head as he and Jen unstrapped themselves from their seats.

"All right, everyone, let's get out of these flight suits." Jen was the first to get changed, and both Anya and Will were in the crew area together. "You alright?" She nodded, smiling as she relaced her boots over her customary BDU pants and added a long-sleeved t-shirt over the thin undershirt she had worn under her flight suit. He gave her a quick kiss when the others were distracted before they both retook their seats, just in time to hear the accented voice of the cosmonaut.

"Hello. This is Russian space station. Can you hear me?"

"We copy, Russian space station. This is Houston." There was more chatter before Will turned to them, as all were floating around in the zero gravity environment.

"All right, everyone, we're gonna dock in a minute. Now, the Russian space station has fired her rockets to simulate gravity and let us work faster. But it's gonna make you queasy, so prepare yourself." Of course, Rockhound had to put his own two cents in.

"Well, it's about time. I haven't thrown up in about an hour." Harry and Anya both snickered as Chick and Max just shook their heads. Once they were docked, they slowly entered the space station. Will called out when the cosmonaut dropped down in front of them.

"Welcome, everybody! I am not gas station. This is sophisticated laboratory. I'm in charge. So do not be touching anything. I need one…I need you." He drug AJ off with him, leaving the others in the main area. Anya looked around, her eyes taking in the depilated state of the gear and she shook her head once more. The refueling commenced, and had been going for a few minutes when Jen called out about thermal variations, drawing Will's attention.

"Stamper, Scott, let's look at the couplings back on the shuttle." As they went to check, all hell broke loose with the connections and they were scrambling to get disconnected, with AJ and the cosmonaut still trapped below. Harry was shouting at Will about leaving AJ behind, but there was no choice but to get back to their seats and get out of there. The two were still arguing when Chick looked up and ended the argument.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Colonel! That thing's comin' right for us! We got to move! Hurry up!" They flew away just as Colonel Davis came over the radio.

" _Freedom_ , the _Independence_ crew is on board and accounted for. We're even heavy one cosmonaut." Things finally calmed down and they had nothing to do but get through the next day and a half before they were set to do their 'Roadrunner' maneuver and land on the asteroid. Will had taken the first shift, so he and Anya were the only ones still awake. She tried to read over the copy of her dissertation, but couldn't concentrate, so she smiled and took Jen's empty seat

"How are you feeling?" Anya shrugged at the question, looking briefly over and out the windshield of the cockpit.

"I don't think I've prayed this much since my confirmation." He glanced down at the volume in her hand and smiled.

"I'm very proud of you, Anya...Dr. Anya." Will teased before glancing back at the sleeping area. "Do the others know?" She shook her head, causing him to ask why.

"I wanted to make sure that I was going get my doctorate before giving them the news. Make it a surprise for Harry, since he's always encouraged my education and helped me pay for it. If…do you think I should tell him before we get to the rock?" Will nodded and Anya let out a breath. "I'll tell him when he wakes up." Before she said anything else, she could see movement from Jen's bunk. Will chuckled and stood up to stretch as Jen left the crew area to take over the controls. Anya returned the paper she had been reading to her bag and walked back over.

"You two need to get some sleep." Her eyes twinkled mischievously at them. "Sleep, and nothing else." Will scowled at his co-pilot and Anya shook her head as they made their way over to their bunks. His eyes met hers and she nodded before crawling up next to him while he connected the strap to keep them in securely in the bunk. They slept soundly until a noise from Harry and Chick caused them to open their eyes. Will undid the straps and helped her out before leaving the bunk and moving towards their seats. Anya glanced at Harry and silently asked him to come to the back. A moment later, the older man let out a whoop and picked his adoptive daughter up, swinging her around and drawing everyone's attention.

"Anya's a doctor now, guys! As soon as we get back, we're all going to see our girl walk the stage to get her Ph.D." Cheers filled the _Freedom,_ and Will told the _Independence_ , who added their own congratulations. Things settled back down a bit later, and it was almost time for the maneuver around the moon. They all quickly donned their suits before strapping themselves back into their seats, Truman's voice coming over the radio as Will glanced at the group.

"Morning, guys. It's time to suit up, I guess. Uh, we got a big day." Truman said while Will and Jen took their positions and the radio came to life as they prepared to make the turn.

"Eighteen seconds to radio interrupt."

"Booster sequence confirmed."

"This is Houston. Roger that, _Freedom_. We copy." A moment later, the shuttle went quiet and Will glanced back at them briefly as they started the turn.

"You guys got those wills filled out correctly?" Harry asked rhetorically while Will shook his head and moved his hands over the controls. The shuttle sped up and began rattling as Will began counting off. "Four Gs…Six Gs…Eight Gs. Hang tight! Ten Gs! We're maxed at 22,500!" The craft stabilized and Anya opened her eyes as Will started communicating with the controllers again. "We have visual of the target, Houston."

"FOD radar on. Goddamn! We got debris!" Jen was the next to speak out, worrying them even more.

"We're dumping auxiliary boosters." More came over the radio and they could tell that the Independence was in trouble, frightening them all. They could see things flying by and both Harry and Anya gasped when a body hit the windshield.

"Sharp, what the hell is that? Is that the _Independence_?" She could hear the sorrow and grief in Will's voice as he communicated with Truman.

"Houston, _Independence_ is a dead stick. They're not gonna make it. Houston, _Independence_ has gone down." He then spoke to Jen and they continued trying to land as safely as possible. "When I touch this baby down, full reverse thrust."

"Fires on your right, Sharp! Reversing the thrusters!"

"Hang tight! Hang tight! Houston, we overshot our landing field. We overshot our landing field." The ship finally landed with a shudder. "Initiate system light system check. Make sure we can still get off this rock."

"Our electrical system is screwed. I'm going to back-up. Fuel seals check…" Anya took deep breaths and whispered another prayer, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as they started unstrapping themselves. Will turned to look at them with a somber expression.

"Anyone hurt?" Rockhound asked about the others, then insulted Will as they started suiting up. Harry finally interjected before things got out of hand.

"Let's just ask God to take care of our friends. May they rest in peace. We got eight hours. Let's get this job done and go home." Once they started to prepare the gear, Will and Rockhound got into another argument as Jen worked on the system.

"I know where we are."

"Please step away."

"Radio signal's dead. I'm flipping the backup generator. Radio signal's gonna be cut in half till we get main power back." Rock's next comment got everyone's attention, however.

"We're in segment 202, lateral grid 9, site 15H-32, give or take a few yards. Captain America here blew the landing by 26 miles."

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Because I'm a genius." Jen came up to the group, shaking her head.

"The gauges will not read. They're all peaked, like we're plugged into some magnetic field." Rockhound stared Will down as he opened his mouth.

"Well, who on this spaceship wants to know why?" He went into detail, until both Will and Harry had enough and the teams were ordered to get to work. Anya groaned when the first drill head broke and they lost the transmission a short while later. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Will gesturing and Harry looking irritated. Ignoring them both, she started helping Chick unpack the second transmission. Suddenly, Will stormed away, Harry behind him. Anya huffed and followed the men inside only to hear Will's voice ring out.

"You and your men are the biggest mistake in the history of NASA!" Anya couldn't stop the sound that escaped her throat, drawing both men's attention to her. Will blanched at the cold, furious expression on her face. "Anya…"

"Go fuck yourself, Colonel." She spat before turning to her father figure. "Harry, we're almost ready to hook the tranny up. Max and Rock are out by the 'dillo." Anya spun on her heel and stalked away from the two back to where Chick was waiting. Harry was behind her when there was a beep from the direction of the bomb.

"Harry..." Chick whispered, "the clock on that nine-foot nuclear weapon is ticking." Both Harry and Anya's eyes widened and Harry yelled back towards the cockpit.

"Oh, my God! Sharp! Get back here now!" Will ran in, took one look and shouted at his co-pilot.

"Watts, get the shuttle ready to evac now!" Chick was muttering and Harry was asking Will questions when two words from the pilot caught her attention.

"Secondary protocol…They're detonating this thing from Earth." Harry and Will were loudly arguing as Chick was stammering about turning the bomb off.

"Okay, let's simplify this. Let's just turn the bomb off right now." Chick was ignored as the argument continued about who should or shouldn't be giving orders when Harry picked up a large wrench.

"Well, guess what. I just made the call for you."

"Harry!" Anya and Chick both screamed as Will pointed a 9mm pistol at their boss and friend.

"Don't. You could set it off." Anya was stunned as Chick questioned the need for a gun in space. More words were exchanged before Harry suddenly hit Will's arm, forcing him to drop the gun and putting the pliers around his neck. The pistol slid on the floor, stopping next to Anya's foot. The brunette bent over and picked up the gun, before aiming it at Will, the hurt and betrayal in her eyes matched by the shock in his. Harry started speaking again as the bomb came back on.

"What're you doin' up here? And why did you even bother to make the trip?"

"To do the right thing, to see that it's done."

"For God's sakes, think about what you're doin'. Why are you listenin' to someone that's 100,000 miles away? We're here. Nobody down there can help us. So if we don't get this job done, then everybody's gone. I've been drillin' holes in the Earth for 30 years. And I have never, never missed a depth that I have aimed for. And by God, I am not gonna miss this one. I will make 800 feet. But I can't do it alone, Colonel. I need your help." Will gasped for breath and his voice was ragged when he spoke.

"You swear on your daughter's life," his eyes glanced over to where Anya still had the gun aimed at him, and then back at Harry. "On my family's...that you can hit that mark?" When Harry affirmed that he would, Will gasped out again. "Then let's turn this bomb off." While Will and Gruber worked to dismantle the bomb, Anya set the gun down, her hands shaking slightly. Will cut a blue wire, stopping the explosion with two seconds to spare. He reached out for her, but she brushed past him towards the crew area to replace her sweaty undershirt with a clean one. Harry shook his head before turning back to Will.

"That girl has been another daughter to me for the past ten years, Sharp. Let me talk to her before you try and she gets even more pissed off." Will gave a wry smile and nodded his head. Harry caught her as she was zipping up her suit and reaching for her gloves. "He loves you, Anya. Even I can see it." She glared as she tugged the gloves on.

"I don't want to talk about it, Harry. First he called us mistakes, then pointed a gun at you and damn near killed everyone here and on Earth." Harry started to speak, when Will entered the room.

"You said that I had more common sense than your guys…I think you may have underestimated them and overestimated me." Anya felt her knees go weak at his self-deprecating grin and shook her head, trying not to let her feelings for the pilot get in the way.

"I'm still fucking pissed, Colonel Sharp…Will, but this can wait…" They could both hear Harry yelling at Mission as she reached for her helmet. "You heard the man, we got a hole to drill." She moved to go past him when he laid his hand on her arm.

"Are we…" Her expression was neutral, but she finally gave a small smile before she pulled on her helmet and walked out to get back to work with the drill. Will let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding before turning his attention back to where Gruber was standing with a smirk on his face.

"So, you and her, eh Sharp?" Will glared at his colleague and started unstrapping the bomb.

"Shut up, Gruber, and let's get this bomb off the shuttle." When they got outside, Anya was helping guide the drill. The two NASA officers watched until Rockhound got everyone's attention. "Get off the nuclear warhead" Will enunciated every word, and though the oddball roughneck obeyed, his antics had everyone on edge. After he started playing with an automatic weapon, the already unstable situation on the asteroid got worse when Max hit a gas pocket, the power of which sent everyone flying. The Armadillo, with Max still inside, was blown into outer space, destroying both. Anya struggled to keep her emotions at bay when the sound of static echoed in her ear.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

"Wait…what the…?" She looked up and screamed in utter delight. It was the Armadillo from the _Independence,_ A.J., Bear and Cosmonaut Andropov all grinning. Will ran back to the radio while Anya and the others started drilling with renewed hope. When A.J. made it to the 800-foot mark, the brunette hugged everyone before they began clearing the hole for the bomb. Will's voice came through the comms as Anya volunteered to cut a stuck pipe. She could hear the chatter in her helmet between Will and Harry before answering her boss's urging her to go faster.

"I'm goin' as fast as I can! There's a lot of gas pressure! Harry, I'm almost through! Give me 15 more seconds!" She finally finished the cut, and pushed the pipe up just as another gas pocket erupted and sent her flying out. Anya cried out as she landed hard on her left side, rocks flying all around. Her left arm was in agony as it hung at two awkward angles in her spacesuit and she used the uninjured one to push herself back to her feet when she heard Harry checking on everyone.

"Sharp, you all right?"

"I'm okay."

"Bear?"

"Yeah. I'm here, Harry."

"Anya? Talk to me, baby girl." She bit back the curses and moved towards the others.

"I'll live." Harry knew by that statement that something was wrong, but he needed to check on the others.

"A.J.?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. We lost Gruber. Gruber's dead." Will took a deep breath and walked over to where the nuke waited.

"Let's get that bomb ready and go home." Anya was moving carefully back to the others when Will cried out. "Oh, my God." Harry turned around with the others and asked what was wrong. "The timer, the remote, the whole thing's dead." A.J. looked between Will and Harry, confused.

"What, the bomb is dead?" Will shook his head and looked at all of them. "No, the trigger's dead. It must've gotten damaged during the rock storm." Harry asked how to set off the bomb and Will took a deep breath before leading them back to the shuttle. Once inside, after he made a quick report to Houston, he turned back to the group. "It takes two people to fly this thing. Either we all stay and die, or you guys draw straws." Rockhound immediately voted for everyone to stay, but A.J. wanted to draw. Harry shook his head firmly.

"Nobody's gonna draw straws. I'll stay and take care of it." Chick made his own comment, then the Russian, Lev, added his two cents. Anya cleared her throat loudly.

"Enough! All of you, just shut the fuck up! If anyone is going to stay, it should be me. Harry, you and A.J. have Grace waiting for you. The Colonel has his daughters, Watts has her husband, Bear has his mom, and Chick, you and Julie have a shot after this. Lev, we all heard you talking about your uncle and making your family proud. The only people that have ever given a flying fuck about my ass are on this bird right now, and I can't stand the thought of losing any of you. I'm staying." Bear shook his head and finally spoke up.

"No way, baby girl." He looked at Harry and the others. "Hey, man, let's draw, and let's see who's gonna stay up here and dance." Rock tried to volunteer again, but Will came out of the cockpit with a fistful of colored wires, holding them for the others to draw. When Anya came to draw her own, he moved his hand back slightly, but the look in her eyes made him let her pull one. It was of medium length, and Will let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. A minute later, A.J. drew the shortest piece and looked at them all.

"Oh, man. Well, we all gotta die, right? I'm the guy who gets to do it saving the world.

So, uh, let's go. We-We got about ten minutes, right?" Will started going over the detonation procedure with A.J. as Harry watched closely before his eyes met Anya's. She opened her mouth to protest, but he lifted a hand and silently pleaded with her to let him go. After a minute, she gave a terse nod and said a silent prayer when Harry and A.J. entered the airlock. She was the only one not at all surprised when A.J. was the one to return. Anya slipped over to where Bear was moving to his seat.

"Papa Bear, can you…?" She indicated her useless arm, and the big man winced as she lowered the top of her spacesuit. Anya bit hard on a rag to stop from screaming as Bear reset the broken bones in both her upper and lower arm the best he could, using one of his own spare shirts and a couple of loose pieces of metal from the frame that held the nuke as a makeshift splint. Finally, he helped her to her seat and Will and Jen rushed to get the shuttle turned on. Harry's voice came over the intercom from where he was able to talk to Grace back on Earth.

"Houston, do you copy? This is Harry Stamper."

"Daddy?"

"Hi, Gracie. Hi, honey. Grace, I know I promised you I was comin' home.

"I don't under- understand…"

"Looks like I'm gonna have to break that promise." Grace and Harry talked, but Anya couldn't stop the tears when he started talking about A.J., Chick and her. "Gracie, I want you to know that A.J. saved us. He did. I want you to tell Chick...that I couldn't have done it without him, none of it. Anya…she is as stubborn as any Stamper could ever be, and so is that Colonel of hers. You might need to be the voice of reason for those two if they act like idiots again." Anya couldn't help but give Will a watery smile as their eyes briefly met before he turned his focus back to the controls while Harry was still talking. "I want you to take care of A.J. I wish I could be there to walk you down the aisle. But I'll-I'll look in on you from time to time, okay, honey? I love you, Grace." Harry said his final goodbyes and the intercom went silent again, except for Will and Jen yelling as they tried to get the shuttle going. The blonde rushed past a minute later, followed by Lev. Another half a minute passed with Rock offering his two cents when Will mentioned a busted ship before the sound of the engines starting made them all breathe again.

"She's coming back. She's coming back. We're hot! Watts, let's go, let's go! let's go! We don't have time! Hurry, hurry. We got no time! Initiate thrusters on my mark! Two, one- Mark!" They started flying away from the asteroid, then Will began to get worried when there was no detonation. "Something's not right. Too much time has gone by. We're goin' back and do it ourselves." Chick begged Will to wait a minute, then A.J. settled the matter.

"Harry'll do it. I know it. He doesn't know how to fail." Not even a second later, the blinding flash of light from the bomb filled the shuttle as they all let out a breath. Will let Mission Control that they made it away safely from the blast before removing his earpiece and asking Jen to take over briefly as he walked to where the survivors had unstrapped themselves. Now that the danger was over, Will could see that Anya was doing everything she could not to break down. He could also see the damage to her arm and made a mental note to let Houston know to have an orthopedic specialist waiting when they landed. Gently, Will wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in his shoulder as she sobbed out her grief over the loss of Harry and her friends. For once, even Rockhound was silent as their teammate let her emotions show. She nearly soaked Will's jacket before she finally ran out of tears, taking what comfort she could from him holding her gently. The next two days were a blur before they were all back in their Day-Glo spacesuits and waiting for Will to touchdown on the runway. Chick made a comment about his hatred of flying and Rockhound admitted that he had a major debt with a loan shark over money he spent on a stripper. Anya shook her head; thanking God that Jen was able to help her rebraid her hair after they got dressed that morning, since her arm had gone completely numb. Before long, the escape slides were lowered and they all went out of the shuttle. Anya smiled when she saw A.J. run to Grace and pick her up; Will approaching and saluting her adopted little sister and shaking Grace's hand. Her smile widened when she saw Chick's son Charlie running with his mother Julie following him. Truman approached Grace and A.J. and Will was heading back towards her when Anya saw something that she had been dreading since the day that the President made his speech and the media blasted their pictures all over the world.

"No…no…I can't deal with this right now…" Will was now within earshot and heard her, turning to see what she was looking at. His jaw clenched when he recognized the group approaching from the picture at Anya's house. Their phony smiles and calculator eyes made him nauseous and he moved to her side.

"Ignore them, Anya," he whispered. "Let's get you to sickbay and get that arm looked at…" She shook her head as her estranged family was now only a few feet away. All Will could do was glare at the group that came towards her, including a tall man with green eyes that had to be the ex she caught cheating on her.

"What the fuck are all of you doing here?" The pain she was in made her words even more clipped and angry than normal. Will looked around and spotted Bear, who had also seen the group and left his own family to jog back in their direction.

"Annie, honey, we saw you on the TV…we had to come welcome our little hero home." Both Bear and Will winced at the condescending tone that Anya's mother used and braced themselves for the inevitable explosion from their fellow astronaut.

"Little hero? Well, I suppose that is better than 'fucking dyke', isn't it?" Anya ignored the gasps from the people around them and the embarrassed faces of her family as she shook off a slight bit of light-headedness. "You know what; I don't have time for this or you." Bear used his massive size to shield her as he and Will walked with her to the infirmary. Her family followed, keeping their distance from the two men as Anya was taken in to have an x-ray. The doctor came back out about an hour later, looking somber.

"She's sedated at the moment, and being prepped for surgery." He addressed the remarks to Bear, since he had been one of the physicians during the testing period and knew that the drillers were a tight-knit, albeit odd, family. "She knows this already, but there is a possibility that she might lose that arm. The bones were practically shattered and caused a lot of damage to the nerves and muscles." Bear nodded, as did Will, but both men nearly started a fight when Anya's family started talking about suing NASA for the damage to Anya, and how they would have to take her in and perhaps put her in some sort of group home since she was obviously useless. Later, Will couldn't believe that he had done it, but he blurted out something that shut the entire group up.

"Excuse me, but I don't think that you will be taking my fiancée anywhere." Bear's head snapped over, but the big man saw the look in the pilot's eyes and played along when her family tried to call Will a liar and claimed that he and Anya owed them. That was too much for Bear, who stood to his full height and told the whole lot of them to leave. "Bear, I'm going to talk to Truman and see if we can get a gag order on those…people…before they try to get rich another way." Standing, Will walked towards the administration area and bumped into the NASA director, who was staring at a worn and tattered mission patch from a _Freedom_ suit.

"Colonel Sharp…how is she?" Will took a deep breath and rubbed his face.

"Her left arm is shattered, and they are doing what they can to save it. Her…God, how someone like Anastasia Scott be related to those people, I don't know, but they are planning to milk everything they can out of her. I was able to get them to back off, but after she…she's going to want to kill me.

"What did you do, Colonel?" Will flushed and turned his head back towards the infirmary.

"I said that they weren't taking my fiancée anywhere." Truman's jaw dropped momentarily before he started laughing his head off. He started walking to the infirmary, still chuckling, with the embarrassed pilot behind him. The rest of the team had changed into regular clothes and were waiting, all glaring at the group on the other side of the room. An hour passed before the surgeon came back out.

"We managed to save the arm, but she will need a lot of physical therapy to regain anything close to normal function in once it finishes healing. We implanted a titanium alloy to help fuse the bones together." He gave the astronauts and drillers a wry grin. "In fact, it is the same material that was used to build the shuttle. Ms. Scott laughed when we told her and said that it figured that she would always have part of NASA with her for the rest of her life.

"She's awake?" Will asked, jumping to his feet. The doctor nodded.

"Yes, but I don't want her getting too excited or over-stressed right now. Two at a time, for the moment. Colonel Sharp, Bear…? She asked for you both first." Anya's family looked outraged, but none were willing to challenge the huge black man standing in their way before he followed the doctor and Will out into the recovery area. Anya was propped up in bed, her left arm in a massive cast that covered her from her shoulder and upper back down to her wrist. Will went to her right side and Bear to her left as she smiled at them, then turned to face Will with a teasing smirk.

"Proposing when the girl isn't in the room doesn't usually work, Colonel Sharp." Will flushed again as Bear roared with laughter. She smiled and laid her good hand over his. "Dr. Anderson and Nurse Helga were kind enough to tell my why you said it…thank you." Will lifted her hand and brushed a kiss over her knuckles while she turned to Bear. "Hey, Papa Bear." The big man smiled and they talked quietly as the other members of the team filed in, followed by Anya's family. When the Petersons saw the group around her, they tried to take over but Anya raised her hand.

"No. You lost any right you may have ever had when you pulled that stunt twelve years ago. This is my real family now. I have two sisters…" Anya smiled at Grace and Jennifer, who nodded their heads firmly. "Brothers…" A.J. and after a nod of encouragement from Anya, Lev stepped forward protectively. "Uncles…" This got grins from Chick, Rock and Bear, while Julie added Aunt to the declaration, her hand clasped in Chick's. Anya smiled before looking back at the unhappy people in the door. "I will mourn the man that became my dad this past decade for the rest of my life, along with my other brothers that died on that rock. My name is Dr. Anastasia Scott, and these people are my family, not any of you greedy, selfish assholes. None of you gave a damn about me before and I'll be goddamned if you are going to use me now!" Will rubbed his thumb in circles on her hand to try and calm her down.

"What about your…fiancé?" Her ex spat the word out like a curse, but thankfully, with Harry's last statement before they left the asteroid, no one reacted since none of them would be surprised if that did happen sooner rather than later. Anya looked at Will and smiled.

"The crew area on a space shuttle in the middle of a life-or-death mission isn't the best place for a proposal, so Will and I will be taking things one day at a time for now." She paused before glaring at the man. "Besides Matt, where's Blondie? You know, the girl you were busy fucking in my bed while I was deployed?" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Dan Truman and General Kimsey, and called out. "Mr. Truman, General, if it isn't too much trouble, could you please have someone get them out of here?" She looked one last time at her family. "In case you are too stupid to comprehend, I neither need nor want any of you near me again. This mission, this battle, cost too many lives and caused too much pain for me to have to deal with you. Get out of my life and stay out." She watched coolly as they Petersons were hauled out of the room and her doctor returned. He ushered them all out, but Will didn't move as Anya pleaded that he be allowed to stay. Another shot of painkillers saw her falling back asleep, her hand still clasped in Will's as he dozed off next to her.

 _Ok, that is the end of the movie-verse plus the inclusion of Anya into the team. Now it is time to deal with the aftermath, which will probably be another five-ten chapters. Grace and A.J.'s wedding will be part of this, along with Anya meeting Will's daughters. The Petersons and Matt aren't done causing trouble yet, so stay tuned._


End file.
